Forum - View topicThis Week in Anime - Once More Unto the Isekai Breach
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Andrew Cunningham
 Posts: 559 Location: Seattle |
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Seventh Prince was reborn into his own world, so technically not isekai.
It's very much narou-kei, and for my money by far the most entertaining one the last few years; there's a ton of talent behind the cameras, elevating the material, and wringing every ounce of humor out of the jokes, and hype out of the fight scenes. Which isn't to say there aren't plenty of valid criticisms of the show, but it feels like all ANN coverage of it (first season and this one) has been weirdly dismissive. Like you're giving a fair shake to the most obviously phoned-in slop all across this article, but refusing to even discuss the one show here made with any passion. |
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TheReticent
Posts: 56 |
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I'm not much of an Isekai watcher (nor have I ever played a 4X game), but I'm hopefully optimistic for Apocalypse Bringer to at least be weekly media junk food.
Uglymug would've been a bit more enjoyable if it was about a gamer who purposefully chooses to be ugly and just DGAF about anything or anyone (who needs that Charisma stat when all your STR and DEX rolls are natural 20's?). Give me a protagonist who just wants to have fun and wreck sh*t without all the self-pity. Sorta like Sunraku from SLF, I guess. I tried Necronomico, and as a Lovecraft fan I think I would have liked it, but I could not understand anything that was going on that first episode because of the subtitling disaster. Yeah, it's fixed, but I don't feel like going back now. In any case, plenty of good shows to watch this season outside this genre. |
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bassgs435
 Posts: 462 |
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Turkey and New Saga are also simple time travel. Not isekai at all. Don’t know why these shows are included. |
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ANN_Lynzee
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 3266 Location: Email for assistance only |
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Our only coverage that's published of the first season so far is Preview Guide from last year where it got middling to weak scores based on the first episode alone. We haven't been anymore "dismissive" of the series beyond any other show that got weak scores and no Daily Streaming reviews (because the audience didn't want them). We have a long-form review from what would be the fifth person to test this show out (and then watch the full season). spoiler[Spoiler: they didn't like it either.] I guess my question is, what was 7th Prince denied that is weird/outside the norm? How have we ignored it compared to any other show that didn't get Daily Streaming reviews? Do you mean because the long-form review hasn't been published yet, when you feel it should have been by now? Last edited by ANN_Lynzee on Thu Jul 17, 2025 1:57 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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InfiniteNothingness
 Posts: 371 |
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New Saga I contest since it's akin to 7th Prince in returning to his original world, even if it's certainly also narou-kei specifically, although I give the pass to Turkey! because of the specific form its time travel takes. That is, it's similar in construction to something like Escaflowne where, even if it is indeed a simple time slip as it were. Not that considerations like these that could get plotted onto an alignment chart for laughs are a strict guideline for me as much as they are something closer to refine the vibes and outlines of a show considered. (Point of fact, I don't consider the Structural Rebel/Thematic Neutral one an "isekai," although I do love it very much.) Going back to the matter of time slipping, I happily consider 16bit Sensation: Another Layer to be time travel but not isekai given the particularities in how our otaku's teleports are rooted in our world (/timeline), with her bouncing back and forth fixing her between the two in a way I wouldn't say from my memory of others, like plenty on this list which are firmly transported elsewhere. Sort of like how Konoha's time slipping is subtly different, too, from 'proper' groundhog day loops. Heck, Onmyo Kaiten Re:Birth Verse is out there pulling from a very familiar thread anyway. Speaking of, I dropped that too. As much as I like the concept of big dumb stupid fun, everything going on with Denji Heian-kyō, and Takeru's situation, Takeru himself made it pretty interminable and the scenes outside of the fights left me deeply wanting. If it gets really good press and he gets less paper-thin and annoying soon I'll consider adding it back, but this is a stacked season even for someone only following a single sequel. |
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FilthyCasual
Posts: 2716 |
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Joe Mello
 Posts: 2559 Location: Online Terminal |
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While I sympathize with those who wish to distinguish isekai from other forms of portal fantasy, I think we're at the point where the general public doesn't care. If someone's getting chucked into a realm they don't know, it's isekai. If a non-Japanese series is borrowing elements and tropes from popular Japanese television, it's anime.
If you're trying to keep the gates closed, don't. It's a bad look. |
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bassgs435
Posts: 462 |
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The Kyle and Loid from New Saga and 7th Prince know the realms pretty well. It’s the sane world. Same time period The bowling club in Turkey take a few minutes to realize it’s the same place, but in the sengoku era. Which is famous enough that everyone knows the dangers once they realize this. I don’t think wanting terminology to be used properly is gatekeeping. I’m just lost. What does isekai even mean currently? Is Steins;Gate isekai? |
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Andrew Cunningham
Posts: 559 Location: Seattle |
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It's not gatekeeping to expect words to be used correctly by professional writers. This seasonal isekai column has often been just the narou-kei stuff; I've never been sure why ANN is so reluctant to use that term where it would be more accurate. I don't wanna sound like Diaz, but they could be trying to educate people on terminology instead of letting words drift so far they no longer serve a function. |
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InfiniteNothingness
Posts: 371 |
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This, I can promise it is not, for my part. I'm also not sure how having differing definitions and caring about terminology like this could even gatekeep. |
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Beatdigga
 Posts: 5145 Location: New York |
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So, any news on that Rayearth remake they announced a year back? I figured if any isekai would be worth watching, it’s the one with the most anime per square inch.
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Gina Szanboti
 Posts: 12739 |
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Huh, I hadn't realized that the OP song for Vending Machine was by Bradio, until I saw that screenshot (with time to read the labels). I think I've skipped over it so far, but I won't now. So thanks for that!
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MFrontier
Posts: 20003 |
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But the loli's are some of the best characters in Shield Hero!
In all seriousness though I've been enjoying both New Saga and OnmyojiRebirth, the former for being a pretty classical fantasy anime and the latter for scratching my tokusatsu/Mecha itch. |
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Cryten
 Posts: 1399 |
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Trapped in a different time has long been a sub-genre of isekai, and lately popularised by korean comics the new variant of that premise is the returner isekai (transported back to an early point of your own timeline). All it takes is someone taking a one way trip to strange circumstances.
I have to admit with ugly mug, as soon as it started doing the false accusation stuff I skipped right past all their pre transported section. That was some misery I did not want to sit through. I certainly understand that the staff would dislike it for its open rejection of female contact and how going down that rejection was rewarded with godly power. Part of it feels like its an intended joke, but it will no doubt also appeal to those feel rejected by normal socialising. It did have 1 good joke with the massive damage from female touch into over dramatic launching of lunch. That got a chuckle out of me. Part of the whole experience does feel like its a send up, as the second episode had spoiler[a god awful transformation of justice, caused by a chuuni like desire to save people from peril. Made more hilarious by the transformation looking like a cheap Saint Seiya.] |
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maximilianjenus
Posts: 3111 |
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Death game Isekai is anything anyway,.the most notable example being Isekai battle royale, where a bunch of Isekai character ( and I don't mean just mcs) get Isekaied to a barren-tournament world for the entertainment of the masses.
New game or however it's name makes me.sadz as I reminds me that " that time ingot reincarnated form the third time".has no chance of getting an anime, considering it has no langa or ln adaptation, and boy the premise could use some good editing. First kid does in Japan saving other kids, then he has his hero journey, gets reset after killing the maou, then he has his Isekai returnee journey where instead of suffering he is now op. And that is the backdrop that is just mentioned once the only seen as flashbacks, as those are relatively generic stories they don't merit that much screen time anyway. Then the third loop starts with the small change that now the mc is a female version of himself, ofc even though she is a hero candidate class she gets denied th chance to become a hero because she is a woman, discovers the unsavory side of her best friend from previous lived being a womanizer that hits on any atractive woman, and keeps on doing interesting or at least fun things with the gender change premise. |
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